Hello, hoopheads! After what felt like weeks of the WNBA standings getting tighter by the day, Tuesday finally saw a bit of a course correction, as both of the night’s matchups of playoff teams went in favor of the ones who came in higher in the standings. They were also, perhaps not coincidentally, the home teams, and this seems as good a time as any to mention that WNBA home teams are 30-15 (.667) since the All-Star break after going 104-98 (.515) before (and being .500 at the exact halfway point of the season). The first and more decisive of the two notable games last night saw the fourth-place Indiana Fever (21-12) overcome the extreme fifth-place energy of their most visible bench player and the extremely unintimidating — which is a word, and the correct one here, even though Beehiiv is trying to squiggle me into changing it — defense of my beloved New York Liberty (20-14), who lost for the second time in nine games. Indiana got 28 points from Kelsey Mitchell on 11-for-16 from the field (68.8%) in the 106-92 win, her 17th straight 20-point game to set a new WNBA record (including postseason games and multi-season streaks). Caitlin Clark added 22 points and 10 assists for the 19th 20-point/10-assist game of her career, which is already seven more than any other player has had in a WNBA career. Courtney Vandersloot is next with 12 of them in 512 career games to Clark’s 84.
The most deflating part, as a Liberty fan, was watching that bench player go into the break between the third and fourth quarters cackling like the Wicked Witch of the West (who is actually more redeemable) after blocking Liberty center Han Xu’s shot. That the Libs lost the game came as no real surprise, and that I say that shouldn’t come as one if you read yesterday’s preview. The god-awful defense they continued to play in the loss, however, only amplified the need for more clarity from the team on if/when they expect Leonie Fiebich back from the “foot soreness” which has kept her out for six weeks. It’s pretty clear that this team has no hope of going anywhere without her world-class defense, but it isn’t the least bit clear if Fiebich and that defense are going to be available again this season given that the little information they’ve provided — that Fiebich is dealing with soreness and avoided serious injury — can’t really be reconciled with a player missing six weeks of a season with no timetable for return. The first question I would like head coach Chris DeMarco New Unremarkable Coach Man to answer is: if Fiebich’s foot isn’t seriously injured, why is it still sore after six weeks of not playing basketball?
After the Fever thumped the Libs, the Las Vegas Aces (23-11) put an end to the longest win streak in the WNBA coming into the night, as well as the second-longest in Washington Mystics (19-13) franchise history, snapping their run at seven straight in an 86-76 win which also evened the season series at 1-1. They’ll play the rubber match tomorrow night in Sin City, so I’m going to save most of my thoughts for tomorrow, but I should let you know that A’ja Wilson led the champs with 26 points on 10-for-18 from the field while adding 13 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 steals and an uncharacteristically 5 turnovers for the second straight game. Tuesday was the 124th 20-point double-double of Wilson’s unparalleled career, 11 more than any other player in WNBA history (including playoffs). Tina Charles sits second with 113, but no active player other than the GOAT has more than Breanna Stewart’s 66. It was also only the 12th time she’s had at least 5 turnovers in 353 career games including playoffs, which I really only mention because it’s interesting to a stat nerd like me that it’s happened twice in a row given how infrequently it happens at all. I would also venture to guess that it’s the kind of weird thing that is entirely meaningless, as opposed to the kind of weird thing that turns out to be a red flag, but I suppose only time will tell (the GOAT is fine lol).
Tonight’s three-game schedule features two fewer matchups of playoff teams than last night’s, although it also has one less game with no playoff teams at all, so I suppose it has that going for it. The first game on the schedule is probably the most intriguing, if only for the fact that it features the playoff team coming in the shakiest as the Toronto Tempo (10-22) visit the Dallas Wings (19-14) (8:00 ET, USA Network/local affiliates). In addition to having dropped three straight and six of eight games, the Wings have mounting injury problems, as Azzi Fudd (knee) is questionable after missing the last two games and All-Star starter Jessica Shepard (ankle) has been ruled out with a knee injury suffered early in Sunday’s loss at Minnesota. If they’re both absent, this hypothetical “get right” game could get a bit dicey. The Tempo are looking to snap a nine-game skid, but are about as healthy as they’ve been in two months and you need only look as far back as Monday for a reminder of what Marina Mabrey can do when she’s on a heater (36 points, 12-for-19 from the field, 7-for-13 from deep on that occasion).
The other two games tonight are simultaneous West Coast tips, the nationally-televised one of which features the Chicago Sky (12-21) at the Golden State Valkyries (23-9) (10:00 ET, USA/CNBC/local affiliates). The Valkyries have won 13 of their last 15 games dating back to the start of their franchise-record nine-game win streak spanning June into July, and they’re 23-4 against everyone other than the Minnesota Lynx (0-2) and the Aces (0-3). Golden State will be looking to reopen a 1.5-game lead over Las Vegas in the standings with a win, which would keep them out of range of the pesky tiebreaker that the Aces hold over them. They’ll also have two chances to take a game from Minnesota down the stretch, although those could of course be a double-edged sword. The Sky are coming off of a nine-point loss at Seattle to open a three-game road trip, which wraps up back in Seattle on Monday. That was the Sky’s second straight loss, but their recent pattern of not having won or lost more than two in a row since late June suggests a stunner tonight. The lack of rookie walking bucket Sydney Taylor, as well as the Valkyries’ remarkable consistency, suggest otherwise.
Last but not least, the league’s best team will look to keep rolling along as the Minnesota Lynx (27-7) visit the Portland Fire (13-19) (10:00 ET, local affiliates/League Pass). The Lynx have won two in a row since letting one get away against the Los Angeles Sparks to snap a WNBA-season-long 10-game win streak, most recently cruising past the Wings 103-90 on Sunday behind Kayla McBride’s WNBA single-game record 10 triples and career-high 43 points. This opens a four-game road trip for the Lynx, who do have a pretty tough schedule to close out the regular season, not that it seems likely to bother them. Seven of Minnesota’s final 10 games are on the road and eight of the nine after tonight are against playoff teams (including the two I mentioned against the Valkyries and two in a row against Indiana to close out the regular season). The Fire are looking to match their season-long win streak with a third straight, as well as to avenge losses at Minnesota by 33 points (in June) and eight points (in July) earlier this season.